


More Bite than Bark

by Penjaculations, Rhymepod195



Series: Talon! Genji AU [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Talon!Genji, oh man this is gonna be packed to the brim with angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-07-19 06:04:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7348075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penjaculations/pseuds/Penjaculations, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhymepod195/pseuds/Rhymepod195
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Talon had found Genji instead of Overwatch, what if Hanzo had been Zenyatta's student instead, and what if Genji was then captured by Overwatch.</p><p>All in all, this is gonna be a hell of a ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A dangerous line

Genji Shimada had been an Assassin for the Terrorist Group known as "Talon" for years now, ever since he had been found and picked up in Hanamura, on the brink of death, by Reaper. Since then he's been re-educated, brainwashed and pretty much tortured into being a mindless weapon for Talon. The fact he now had a largely mechanic body only helped reinforce that idea of him only being a walking weapon.

In all these years there is one person he knew he could trust; Reaper. The man that found him dying in Hanamura and has taken him under his wings and almost had a father-son bond with. He had a long-standing agreement with him that if anyone that wasn't supposed to tried to use Genji's trigger words to get him to go into that walking weapon mindset, he was to either knock Genji out or destroy his audio receptors. Needless to say, he went with destroying the audio receptors by shooting them off, leaving Genji permanently deaf. This did not take away from his deadliness though, in fact it made him even more deadly. Instead of using sound, he now had extra sensetive receptors in the soles of his feet and his fingertips to fee vibrations with, using that to find where enemies might be hiding.

Right now though, none of that mattered. He fucked up, and ended up captured by the freshly recalled Overwatch. They tried to interrogate him - 'tried' being the key word here - but he didn't say anything but vague statements that helped them next to nothing. He was loyal to Talon, they saved his life and gave him a purpose, what more could he ask for? The only clear thing he ever told Overwatch was that "Talon doesn't have use for Agents that get captured".

Quite frankly, he was just playing the waiting game with them now. Either they'd grow tired of him not cooperating and either kill him or return him to Talon, or Talon found him and either got him back into re-education or killed him. His chances didn't stand too well, as far as he knew, but at that point he didn't care. He did his job before he was captured, so he was doing just fine. However, the did not take the chance of redemption into account, thus he was very confused when one day the doors to the small cell-like room he had opened, and an Omnic Monk came floating in, one of the Shambali if he wasn't wrong.

He didn't move where he sat, watching the Omnic float towards him, looking him over subtly. No protective plating, no obvious weapons other than the orbs floating around his neck, and incredibly passive and open posture. "What do you want?", he eventually asked after a few more moments of tense silence.  
"I wish to understand what troubles you. My name is Zenyatta, I only want to talk to you.", Zenyatta, much to Genji's surprise, used sign language, almost as if he knew that he was deaf.  
Once he got over the initial surprise of Zenyatta knowing, and using, sign language he scoffed. "I don't care what you have to say, Monk. I'm not here to make friends. It's not healthy to be my friend, even less so to be my enemy. And you're walking a very dangerous line."

Zenyatta was surprised by what Genji said, tilting his head a little. In all his years, he had never met anyone quite like Genji, and in that moment the Omnic was sure of something. He was going to help him find enlightement, and accept himself as he was. Having Hanzo accept himself was already an uphill battle, and this one was going to be much tougher, but he was absolutely certain that Genji was going to be his new 'mission'.


	2. Nice things are always short-lived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's reaper! oh shit waddup!  
> Co-author was meant to make the second chapter, but I got ahead of myself and made it instead. Theirs will be the third chapter instead, so yeah. Have fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> any spanish in this chapter is translated online, I don't know shit about spanish

Despite his objections, Zenyatta continued to come everyday with his meals. Genji wasn't much for talking, so Zenyatta talked for him, but always asked questions about him. Whenever Genji refused to answer question he took it in grace, avoiding the questions he didn't want to answer, instead asking him other things. This went on for weeks, and Genji very slowely, and very surely, opened up to the Omnic.  
Thus, after nearly two months of Zenyatta trying to crack through his facade of unfeeling toughness, he eventually got close enough for the Cyborg to trust him to an extend, or at least not immidiately go to the other side of the room he's in when he comes in.

Genji would never admit it to anyone else, or himself, but he had grown fond of the Omnic Monk. He made him feel like his own person, talked to him and told him his opinions and feelings mattered, that he was not just a weapon, he was a person.

The Road of redemption and recovery was a long and bumpy one, riddled with hindrances and bumps. These were largely made by Genji himself, who was adamant about not needing help, and not deserving needing redemption.  
It had started out simple enough, with Zenyatta taking Genji outside of the Base on a daily basis, each time asking him what he saw. At first Genji replied with "I see no less than fifty fatal weaknesses a skilled Assassin could exploit.", and this repeated itself for days. The change was gradual, the Cyborg slowly beginning to expand on his comments, Zenyatta taking advantage of the fact he seemed fixated on these "50 fatal weaknesses" and asking Genji to describe them.  
At first, his descriptions were curt and short, almost clinical, but over the weeks he began to stray further and further from the clinical descriptions, expanding onto other things. He began to describe their surroundings with more detail, pulling Zenyatta's attention to details the Omnic had never noticed himself, and encouraged Genji to keep these details in his mind, to see the beauty in them. It continued like that for weeks, until one day things came to a sudden boiling point.

Genji had been in his room with Zenyatta, just watching - and to an extend - listening to the Omnic Monk speak as he ate his lunch when he felt the rumbling vibrations of gunfire. Not just any gunfire, not the muffled far-off shots from the shooting range that put him on edge, but very distinct shots coming from the base of the outpost going up to where Genji currently was. That could only mean one thing; Talon found him, and they wanted their investment back.  
Genji knew it would only have been a matter of time before they had found him, and now they did. He knew they would kill Zenyatta when they found them in Genji's room, so Genji jumped up, ready to fight them off if need be to keep Zenyatta safe. He was too fond of the Monk to let him die in good concience. His right hand shot to his thigh, a hidden compartment opening and ejecting a short blade, barely the length of his lower arm, into his palm. He felt the Monk's eyes on the blade, glancing at him briefly before his visor turned on before saying "A good Assassin always has an extra weapon on themselves."  
Then Genji herded Zenyatta further back into the room before going to the door-frame of his room, ready to attack whoever stepped foot into the room. Despite his cold calculating exterior, he was afraid. Afraid his neural reconditioning would keep him from harming the Talon Agents, would keep him from protecting Zenyatta, afraid that they would kill the Omnic that finally made him feel like his own person again, and turn him back into a cold-blooded Killer. It was a foreign feeling to him - fear - but right now it bubbled through him, synthetic muscles tensing, and exhaling a shaky breath before he steeled himself, feeling the vibrations of footsteps outside of the room.

The door opened, and instinct kicked in. He grabbed the arm of the dark figure that stepped in through the door, twisting them around and using his momentum to slam the other person into the wall he was just standing against, blade instantly at their neck.  
Then, he froze, eyes widening underneath his visor as he saw whose neck he was holding his blade against. The familiar owl-like mask of Reaper was in front of him, all tension and fear just washing out of him, causing him to stumble backwards and drop the blade, visor turning off.

"Gabriel."

With that one word, Reaper's arms shot forwards, and before Zenyatta could react to get the Mercenary away from Genji, these same arms just wrapped around the Assassin's back and shoulders, pulling him close as the Cyborg just clung to Reaper, one hand on his back and the other in Genji's short black hair, raspy voice shushing the Cyborg as his breath became shaky, Genji's hands pulling at Reaper's coat as he clung to him, unable to believe that he came for him.  
"Gracias a dios que estas vivo. Estas vivo. Estas a salvo ahora, vas a estar bien.", at this point Reaper was purely speaking in spanish, clawed gloves brushing through the other's short black hair, still gently shushing him.

When they heard a cough from somewhere behind them, Genji instantly ripped away from Reaper, picking up the blade he had previously dropped and went to face whoever interrupted them, hearing the familiar rustle of Gabriel getting another pair of shotguns out.


	3. Thick Thighs Save Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel is a force to be reckoned with when he suspects someone he swore to protect might be in danger, never mind that rushing in may very well be a suicide mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by terminally_winchestered, who is also working on chapter four to even out the numbers some. Also thanks so much for all the positive feedback on this and we are so glad you all are enjoying this so much! ^u^

To say that one Gabriel Reyes was in a state of panic was an understatement. The feeling was only mildly unusual- the wraith-like man was prone to worrying about the boy he'd come to grow protective of with a fatherly fondness- but this intense fear was wholly new to him. Where before he'd simply worried for Genji's general safety, this time, he was worried for the boy's life. It was a sharp and peculiar fear, but he clung to it with an angry fervor.

It was panic but it drove him to search for Genji all the harder, fueling his determination with a manic need to ensure the boy was safe. He didn't know what the newly resurrected Overwatch would do to him since he was a Talon operative. An ex-Talon operative, but an operative nonetheless.

He had knowledge of the terrorist organization that many in Overwatch, at least in its heyday, would want to know. And he knew there had been those in the old days who were not above torturing captives to get the information they wanted.

Gabe only hoped he got to him before any of his fears became a reality.

Still, at least he knew where he was, or, more accurately, he knew what base Genji was being held in. It had taken only a few weeks to pinpoint where the bases still in good enough shape to house members were, and from there it was an easy enough task to find out which of those had had recent activity coming off of them.

There hadn't been many on that list, and Gabriel had been spending the last week systematically finding those bases and watching them long enough to know which ones only contained automated activity and no real signs of having been occupied. And having previously been to the base in Gibralter where a certain _ape scientist_ had been hiding out in, Gabe knew that one would be his best bet.

He knew Winston had put out the recall, had been in contact with many of the old members of Overwatch and that some of them had answered the call and travelled here to meet as a group, so it seemed only natural to assume that Genji would be here as well. Even so, he knew storming the base would be no easy feat.

He had no choice but to try, however, and even though going in guns blazing would be more than foolish, it might cause just enough confusion so he could avoid hurting anyone if it wasn't needed. And he honestly had no intention of hurting anyone as long as Genji was alright. If anything had happened to the boy, though, he would not be so reserved.

There would be Hell to pay if there was so much as a single scratch on him.

With a deep breath he didn't really need to take, Gabriel silently phased into his wraith form, ghost-like and shadowy tendrils of smoke trailing behind him as he glided up the cliffside. He rematerialized just outside one of the main building's side doors, purposefully setting off whatever sensors might be in place to warn those inside of intruders. He had no desire to hide his presence, and in fact hoped the inevitable rush and panic of those inside would aid in his attempts to sow confusion.

It didn't take long before he heard the telltale klaxon of sirens, outdoor lights suddenly flashing from crisp white-gold to a harsh, blinking red, and he turned to smoke just in time to slip past the storm doors beginning to close. It was almost amusing how they thought they could keep him out, but, of course, they did not yet know who they were dealing with. Not that it would have helped them even if they had known.

The first few hallways he slipped through were empty, sirens still echoing harshly off metal walls while even the indoor lights were flashing and crimson. It was almost fitting, he thought, that the state of the base should mimic the rage bubbling inside him. How dare they think they could take someone he cared about from him? Vaguely he knew that there was no way for anyone to know of his attachment to Genji, but that didn't stop him from feeling bitter about it regardless.

It didn't occur to him to worry about why the hallways he glided through were still so empty until a rapid burst of gunfire erupted from the smoky expanse that was his body.

The shock of it pulled him to a solid form, but he had sense enough to duck into a sideways roll, pulling his shotguns from under his cloak and firing in the general direction of his attacker as he did so, ducking around a corner quickly after without checking to see who had even shot at him.

The bird-like titter of a voice that assailed his ears with sudden vulgarity told him all he needed to know, but he glanced quickly around the corner anyway just to be sure, and also to see if any of his bullets had actually hit her.

The skin-tight yellow leggings and glowing device on her chest were proof enough that it was the elusive Tracer he was dealing with, and he was mildly pleased that, if anything, his bullets had only grazed her. She'd live, and he wasted no more time in ascertaining her condition and instead sent another wild spray of bullets near her feet before taking off down the hallway.

He heard another curse, and then the all-too-familiar sound of the girl zipping down the hallway after him, but he ignored it. Instead, he abandoned his now-empty shotguns and turned to open every door he passed, no longer paying attention to her or the fact that at seeing he was searching for something, she'd taken off in the opposite direction to go get someone better suited to deal with the wraith.

In Gabriel's defence, the man had reached a stage of frenzied focus, dead-set on finding Genji at whatever cost it took, with no thought for what he would do after he found him. He didn't even contemplate the idea that he might not find him, that he'd been wrong and all of this foolhardiness had been for nothing. It couldn't, wouldn't, be for nothing.

After the first few doors turned up only empty rooms that held signs of having been lived in but no signs of Genji, a dull panic began to settle in Gabriel's chest. Though he had no heart or pulse to feel the quickening of them as the panic settled in, he felt the memory of it, and that was enough to set him on edge.

He pressed on, though, and eventually his wild search was rewarded, throwing open a door to find Genji behind it, naturally standing on guard.

He stepped into the room, unsurprised when Genji grabbed at his arm without seeing who he was, spinning him against the wall with a savage strength and pinning a blade to Gabriel's throat.

Underneath his mask, Gabe grinned, relief soaking through his system and almost sending him to his knees when recognition flooded through the boy. The shaky tremor in Genji's voice when he said his name, the look in his eyes when the visor was discarded along with the blade, it was nearly enough to undo the mercenary.

He held himself together for Genji's sake, pulling the boy into his arms and muttering soothing words in Spanish, guttural voice washing over them both as he clutched at the other and ran his clawed gloves through his hair. It was as much to calm Genji as it was to calm his own frazzled nerves, the high of his focused chase coming to an end leaving him feeling almost drunk, like a man lost at sea with nothing to grasp onto but the small body warm and safe in his arms.

And then, quite suddenly, a dull, pointed cough pulled him from his stupor and Genji sprang away from him to reclaim his previously dropped sword. On instinct, Gabriel pulled shotguns from under his coat, turning to face whoever had so rudely interrupted their reunion.


	4. Dad-Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the much-wished dad-off is here. Due to personal issues regarding arguments, it's not as intense as some of you might want, and also the reason I wrote the chapter and not the co-author. Well, also the fact that they're a part of the Overwatch Big Bang. So yeah. Also Ana's here now.

When Genji turned around, he was greeted with a Pulse Rifle in his face, the cyborg taking an instinctive step back, eyes trained on the Rifle to search for any signs that the man wielding it was about to fire. Once he was sure he wouldn't, his eyes wandered up to fixate on the red visor covering the milky eyes underneath, searching for any sign of what the Soldier was feeling. He knew of Gabriel's history with him, hence why he was so wary of him, not trusting him for even a minute.

"Just like old times, Boy Scout. You always were the one to rush straight into the action, and look where that got you.", the Wraith's voice was filled with sarcasm, Shotguns pointed at the other man as he moved Genji behind him with just a few steps. They would not rip the cyborg from him again.  
"Why are you here? We both know attempting to storm this base is suicide, so why try?", Morrison replied, raspy voice lowered in a growl, not once lowering his rifle.  
"So it is, I know that just fine, Morrison.", the name came out with a snarl, "But you took someone from me that I care about, and I'm not about to let that stand.", he said that as he briefly glanced back towards the Cyborg before his glare set back on the Soldier blocking the door.  
"You're not taking the kid back to Talon.", the sentence came awfully close to being used with his 'Strike Commander' voice, demanding obedience, but before he could say anything else he was interrupted.  
Reaper gave a cold laugh at what was said, the mere thought of returning Genji to Talon filling him with disgust. "Oh, I wasn't planning on doing that, not by a long shot. But I'm keeping him away from all this too."  
They were about to continue arguing when the Wraith noticed Zenyatta from the corner of his eyes, one arm whipping sidewards to shoot at the Monk, but was promptly stopped when Genji held onto his arm, pushing it away so that he wasn't aiming at the Monk. He gave the Cyborg a confused look, a discontent scoff escaping him when all Genji gave as a reply was a pointed shake of the head. He didn't want the Omnic hurt. That was going to take some getting used to.  
Genji didn't want Zenyatta hurt, he was the only person he felt comfortable to be around - save for Reaper - and let his guard down, and he made him feel like his own person, not a weapon to be used and maintained and otherwise ignored. 

However, before either of the two could say anything, the Wraith got knocked square in the jaw with the previously mentioned Pulse Rifle, causing him to stumble backwards from the suddenness of it all. That action, of course, sent Genji's protective instincts into maximum Overdrive, lunging at the Soldier in wild abandon. Gabriel had only been thrown off for a moment, so when he saw Genji lunging for the Soldier he grabbed him, yanking him back and his arms wrapped around the younger man's torso to keep him back, feeling the Cyborg relax in his hold. He really did have a calming effect on the Cyborg, huh.  
"My kill.", he growled before letting Genji go again, gripping his shotguns, preparing to fire at Jack. They will not take Genji from him again.  
The fight that would have broken out was sure to have destroyed half the base, but before it came to that there was the familiar sound of a sleep dart being fired. Genji was on high alert again, expecting Gabe to drop before he remembered that anesthetics don't work on the Wraith anymore. Then who...

Before he could finish the thought the former Strike-Commander slurred out something that sounded like "Ana, what.." before he fell onto the floor, fast asleep. Genji just stared, and Reaper was too - just not at the same thing. He was staring at Ana in the hallway, the alarm out by now.  
"You two never did talk things out like normal adults. I'm surprised I haven't gone crazy by now.", she sighed as she walked over to the Wraith, who was still a little in shock. "It's nice to see you still care about someone though, there may still be hope for you yet."  
"Don't go soft on me, Ana. I'm here for Genji, and nothing else. I'm not looking for your half-hearted attempts at redemption."  
"Who said anything about half-hearted attempts? I'm dragging you into redemption wether you like it or not.", she laughed, giving the Wraith a pat on the shoulder. "I'm also going to need you to carry Jack, he hasn't lost any weight since his prime."

How they managed to talk Gabriel into staying, noone was entirely sure, but it happened. He wouldn't be seen with large crowds though, but there was one person he was constantly around; Genji. Wherever the Wraith went, the Ninja never strayed far behind. The Father-Son relationship the two shared also became more and more obvious with each day.  
Reaper would be the only one to be able to touch Genji in any kind of way - something noone else had achieved yet due to Genji's aversion to touch - and Genji actually talked. He didn't just say sentences of just five words, but actual full on monologues.  
It was all in a wild mixture of Spanish, Japanese and tidbits of English thrown in-between, they had attempted to teach the other their mother tongue to make communicating easier, so now they have a very mis-matched rapid-fire speech between them. It's something they had used plenty of times while Genji was still working with Talon to avoid the terrorist organization getting suspicious, since not even the Talon operatives that could speak Spanish and Japanese were able to decifer what they were saying.


	5. Not-so-happy Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You asked for Shimada Brothers feels, and Shimada Brothers feels you shall receive.

Genji didn't like to think of Hanzo, he preferred to keep old wounds hidden and locked away, and keep anyone from asking about it. If they did, he skirted around a proper answer by being vague and promptly changing the subject. He hadn't even come across the thought of seeing Hanzo again, and it wasn't part of his plans anytime soon.

It had been a normal day - he had been allowed to walk around the base without supervision and he was enjoying the freedom for now. He had been passing the Mess Hall when he felt the vibrations of laughter coming from within, so he figured there must be something going on so he went inside to check it out.  
There was a group gathered around a table, laughing heartily about something or another. He saw Reinhardt, Soldier 76, Zenyatta, Mccree and.. Genji stilled as he saw the fourth person. Mccree's arm was slung over their shoulder, black hair in a loose ponytail around their shoulder and arm donned with an all too familiar dragon tattoo.

"Hanzo.", the word slipped out involuntarily, everyone stilling when they heard him and realized his presence.  
Hanzo opened his mouth to say something, but the shock of being confronted with Genji robbed him of his voice. Before he got the chance to regain his voice, or anyone else got the chance to react, Genji was all but a blur of colour, ripping Hanzo up and slamming him into the nearest wall. His hand was wrapped tightly around the older Shimada's neck, effectively cutting off his oxygen supply and lifting him off the ground. "You _dare_ show your face to me again.", the cyborg snarled out, anger and resentment boiling through him and painfully clear in his voice.  
Hanzo wanted to reply, but couldn't due to the mechanical hand squeezing his windpipe, meaning the most he could get out was a raspy gurgle, trying to pull at Genji's wrist with his hands. When that didn't work, he resortet to kicking Genji in the side, causing the Cyborg to let out a hiss and back off, the spikes on the tips of his prosthetic feet inflicting enough pain combined with the force of the kick for Genji to drop him. The Archer coughed as he gulped breaths of air, faint bruises already forming on his neck from where he was choked.  
In an instant the others reacted, Mccree and Zenyatta checking that Hanzo was alright, Reinhardt getting between the brothers so that there wouldn't be a fight breaking out, while Jack confronted Genji.

"What the hell was that?", the Soldier growled out, demanding an answer for the Assassin's actions. When Genji didn't answer he repeated the question, this time raising his voice into his Strike-Commander voice.  
"Please, calm yourself, yelling will not help the situation.", Zenyatta interrupted, turning to Genji. "Genji, why did you attack him?", he asked, ever so patient with him.  
"Sensei--", Hanzo rasped out in the background. Genji couldn't hear him - he was deaf after all - but he could feel the vibrations of what Hanzo had said, no matter how raspy.  
"Sensei?", he asked, looking at the older Shimada (who was finally regaining his breath), before turning to Zenyatta. "You.. You _knew_ him this entire time? You knew the man that mutilated me, killed me and let me be turned into _this_?! And you couldn't even be _bothered_ to tell me?!", there was rage in his voice, but also an intense amount of hurt. He felt betrayed, stabbed in the back, staring at the Monk in disbelief.  
"Genji, please-"

" ** _NO!_** ", with that shout Genji's fist connected with the nearest surface - a Table in his case - leaving a large dent in it and almost breaking it. Normally he would punch whoever had wronged him, but he couldn't bear the thought of hurting the Omnic, he was too attached to him, despite the betrayal he felt in that moment. "I don't want to hear any excuses. I'm out of here.", he purposely rammed his shoulder into Zenyatta's as he stormed out. Nobody stopped him.

He needed to be alone, somewhere where the rest couldn't bother him. So, he took to the roof. Noone ever came there.  
He sat on the edge of the roof silently, internally berating himself for being stupid enough to trust the Omnic. "You were a fool, Genji. You are not a person anymore, you are a weapon. The only reason they sent the Monk to you is to make you switch to their side. Nothing else.", that little voice of Talon protocols and neural reconditioning whispered to him. And this time, he didn't even attempt to disagree.

In his misery he didn't notice the black smoke curling around him, but he didn't object when the familiar arms of Reaper wrapped around him, the older man hugging him from behind to comfort him. They both knew that there was nothing either one of them could say to make this better, so they stayed like this in total silence, save for Genji's shaky breaths. For Genji it was enough comfort to be near the Wraith, to remind himself that there was at least one trustworthy person in his life.


	6. Yeah, I Missed You Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel has to console Genji after his unpleasant reunion with his brother, and Gabriel has an unpleasant reunion of his own to face.

It was a surprise to most everyone, Gabe included, just how well he had settled into base life again. Or maybe not so surprisingly considering a good portion of his life had been spent in bases all over the world just like this one, and staying in one again was almost like coming back home but with a slightly less than warm welcome.

But since it became obvious very quickly that Gabriel truly did not have any ill intent for any of the members currently there, the initial fear had quickly worn off and given way to something that could have almost been mistaken as acceptance. If one looked at the situation just right and squinted, of course. Not that Gabe was even looking for acceptance, to be honest, he simply wanted to ensure Genji stayed safe. Socializing did not fit anywhere on that agenda.

Naturally, this meant that Gabe spent most of his time in either his own room or Genji's, or following along beside Genji and, when he was in a particularly antisocial mood, following behind the assassin from his own personal definition of a safe distance.

Gabriel was often in antisocial moods, and the others had slowly grown used to his 'lurking moodily in the distance' as Tracer liked to call it. Genji had once, upon hearing Lena's description, chuckled and quipped that 'Gabe was an overprotective mother hen' loud enough for the wraith to hear.

After that, Gabe made a point of letting Genji be. If he trusted these people- people he'd trusted himself, once upon a time, he had to remind himself- then perhaps he could extend that same trust once more and not hover so much.

The boy was right, after all, he was a bit overprotective and calling what he did 'hovering' was, in fact, putting it mildly.

So he backed off slightly, at least enough so that when he still felt the need to tail behind Genji he did so from a much farther distance, even separate rooms on occasion.

When Genji had his confrontation with Hanzo, however, Gabriel was not close enough to intervene himself- had he been close enough his intervening would have been assured. He had not been anywhere nearby, in fact, and had chosen that day to simply stay in his own quarters and keep to himself.

Choosing to stay away from everyone, even Genji, had not been done without reason, however. And even Genji had known what was up and had purposely given Gabe his space today.

Even after so many years Gabriel Reyes had never learned to properly deal with what had happened at the Swiss base, so, as usual, when the date the explosion had taken place rolled around, Gabe chose solitude over company. And, yes, part of him simply wanted to avoid seeing Jack today because he was not ready for the inevitable discussion he assumed would take place if he did.

As fate would have it, he ended up seeing Jack anyway, but not for the reason he expected.

The knock on Gabriel's door was unexpected and he would have ignored it, but the thought of Genji needing something moved him to answer it. Disappointment flashed across Gabe's face when he was greeted by Jack's own visage, the other man's expression a stiff mask of worry hiding something deeper that Gabe didn't want to guess at. Before Gabriel could say anything, however, Jack spoke up.

"Genji just figured out his brother was here, you might wanna go check on your boy. You're about the only one who can console him when he's upset and even I have to admit you've got a way with the kid that none of the rest of us have. Go find him.... He needs you."

Gabe didn't hesitate once he understood what was going on, pointedly ignoring the way Jack's voice had softened as he spoke, turning almost-fond as he thought of Gabe's relationship to Genji. Gabe wasn't ready to think about that right now, wasn't ready to think about Jack at all let alone face the curiously soft look that had settled on the other man's face.

Without a word Gabe was out the door and outside, already guessing where Genji had gone to be alone. Sure enough, after quickly teleporting himself onto the roof, Gabe spotted the cyborg on the far end of one of the more distant buildings and shifted to his wraith-form to reach him faster.

His arms were already settling around Genji even before he'd fully solidified, smoky tendrils coalescing into solid arms as if appearing from a sudden fog. Genji was used to Gabe appearing like this when he needed him most, and said nothing, only leaning into the embrace and lifting one hand to curl his fingers tightly around Gabriel's wrist, holding him in place.

Gabe didn't speak right away, instead, he waited for the stiffness in Genji's posture to relax, knowing the boy would speak when he was ready to. It wasn't a long wait, and that much relieved Gabriel, but he hated the unsure tremor in Genji's voice when he spoke.

"They lied to me." Simple words, but they carried a heavy meaning that would have sent a twinge through Gabe’s heart had it been a working one. He understood that kind of pain all too well.

“Did you ask them if your brother was here?” Gabe knew the question had caught Genji off guard when the other went deathly still, contemplating the implications of it.

“No.” An amused yet sad smile spread on Gabe’s face at the defeated tone in his voice, and he knew Genji understood why he’d asked that.

“If that’s so then can you really say they lied to you? And, in fact, by not telling you, wouldn’t you think maybe they had a good reason for it? Like maybe they were, I don’t know, trying to protect you?”

Gabriel sighed then and moved one hand to give Genji’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Look, Mijo, these people care about you like you're family, sí? That means they would never do anything to purposely hurt you. Can you trust me on this?”

He felt Genji give his hand a squeeze in return and heard his heavy sigh, and then he turned, pressing his face into Gabe's shoulder.

“It doesn't matter why they did it, it still hurts.”

“I know, Mijo, trust me, I do, but don't you think you ought to at least let them explain?”

When Genji didn't immediately respond Gabe knew he'd won the argument. Sure, Genji wouldn't be happy about it- he never was happy when he knew Gabe was right about something they'd disagreed on- but at least he knew, and that was good enough for Gabriel.

“So, when are you going to go talk to him?” There was slight amusement in Gabriel’s voice when he asked the question and at first Genji only replied with an annoyed grunt of a noise, but, finally, he let out a sigh and lifted his head. He was scowling beneath the visor, knowing Gabe couldn't see it.

“Later. Maybe this evening. I'm still too upset to go talk to anyone right now… Why do you always have to be right?” Gabe’s answering chuckle made Genji's scowl lessen somewhat and he let out another small sigh.

“I wasn't born yesterday, Mijo, it's always better for everyone involved to work out disagreements. I've had enough of my own to know how not to handle them, so just promise me you'll get that taken care of, alright?” Genji gave a small, defeated nod, then pulled away to sit cross-legged beside Gabe. “Good. I'll leave you be then. And Genji?”

“What, Gabriel?”

“Te amo.”

“I love you too, now go on before your sappiness starts getting to me.”

Gabriel gave him a single, gentle pat on his shoulder, then quietly teleported back onto the ground, materializing in a cloud of smoke with his hands in his pockets.

Now that his initial worry for Genji had faded and he was comforted in the knowledge that things would eventually get taken care of, he was in much higher spirits than he'd been that morning. He was deeply grateful that Genji had made a few friends here, and especially thankful for the Omnic monk. A surprising turn of events considering how Gabe felt about most Omnics in general. But he could tell how much Zenyatta cared about Genji, and, even if Genji refused to admit it, Gabe could definitely see how much Zenyatta meant to him.

With eyes half-closed, Gabriel began to make his way to the other side of the base where his room, and the solitude it offered, waited. He was looking forward to spending the rest of the day alone, already thinking of possibly putting a novela on his TV and watching it for a while. Distracted as he was by his own thoughts, Gabe had no warning before a solid blow connected with his face and knocked him back several steps.

Instinctively, a hand rose to his face but, of course, there was no blood despite how hard his nose had been struck. No matter how hard he’d been hit there wouldn’t be any blood, a reality that had taken him a few years to get used to, and even nowadays it still threw him off sometimes.

When he glanced up it was just in time to catch McCree’s enraged face, the other man coming at him with both fists raised and swinging at Gabe with his metal arm. Had it been anyone else Gabe might have stopped him or at least blocked his punches, but McCree had more right than most to be upset with him. So Gabe simply stood and braced himself, arms slack at his sides as Jesse took his anger out on Gabe’s face.

Perhaps it was the fact that none of his punches seemed to have any real effect- no bruising, no blood, just faint marks that appeared to be scrapes but instead of blood they leaked wisps of thin, black smoke- or perhaps it was Gabe’s casual acceptance of it that made Jesse pause. The gunslinger’s chest was heaving and his face was still twisted in anger, but he’d stopped swinging his fists so Gabe was content to wait it out until he decided to talk. Or scream. Gabe was more than expecting the latter, judging by the hard look in Jesse’s eyes.

“About damn time you dragged your sorry ass back here,” Jesse finally spat. Gabe offered a pained sort of smile at his words, but it only made Jesse’s scowl darken so he let the smile fade from his face.

“Jesse-”

“Don’t you fuckin’ ‘Jesse’ me, I ain’t some dumbass kid any more an’ that shit won’t slide.”

Gabriel’s jaw clamped shut and he swallowed hard, stilling his urge to explain himself, no matter the fact that there was no simple explanation for everything he’d done. He wanted to say he was sorry- and he was sorry- but simply saying sorry wouldn’t be near good enough to amend the guilt he felt, and it wouldn’t change anything. Jesse and God-knew-who-else would still be pissed at him and the world would still be just as fucked up, and he’d still be to blame for enough of it that an apology wouldn’t be worth two cents.

“You’re pretty ballsy to come back here actin’ like nothin’ has changed, like you didn’t turn your back on everythin’ you stood for, spittin’ in the face of everyone who cared about your dumb ass.” Jesse’s voice began to shake as he spoke. Whether it was from anger, or something else, Gabriel could not tell. Jesse took a step closer to Gabe, raising his arm to jab a metal finger at his chest. 

“Did you even stop to think about how we’d all feel? Did you ever really care or was it all jus’ a big lie? Did anythin’ we did matter or did I jus’ move from one pile of shit to another without realizin’ it because it looked nicer than what I was used to?” With each word Jesse’s voice grew in volume until he was almost screaming, the anger in his face twisting into an expression of pain. His shoulders shook, hands clenched into fists so tight the knuckles on his flesh hand were turning white and the fingers of his prosthetic were quietly grinding together. His entire body seemed tensed up, as if the merest nudge would send him toppling over from all the effort he was putting into keeping himself under control.

And Gabe? Gabe was simply doing his best to keep his hands to himself. His instinct was to reach out and pull Jesse to him like he did with Genji, to attempt to soothe his hurt with gentle touches and soft words because dammit Jesse deserved better than this. His own hands were tense at his sides, twitching faintly with the effort to keep them there. With how upset McCree was he was almost certain that giving in to this damned paternal desire would only make things worse, and that was the last thing Gabe wanted right now.

Jesse’s gaze dropped to the ground and the brim of his obnoxious hat blocked Gabe’s view of his face. All the wraith could see was the way Jesse’s shoulders still shook.

Like an invisible tug-of-war Gabe continued to wrestle with his urge to reach out to Jesse, letting the anguish and helplessness he felt slip onto his face. If Jesse kept talking Gabe knew he wasn’t going to be able to fight it for much longer, not when Jesse’s pain was largely his fault.

“I wish I could hate you….”

Jesse’s voice was quiet, almost so quiet that Gabriel didn’t hear him. If his heart hadn’t already been as good as dead, Gabe supposed that the sound of McCree’s defeated voice would have surely made it stop. As it was, there was a twinge in his chest, a ghostly memory of what it felt like to have someone else’s pain make his heart stutter, and he was done fighting.

“Jesse, look at me.” His own voice was soft, mirroring Jesse’s weakened tone. For a moment it seemed that either the cowboy had not heard him or was simply ignoring what he’d said, the latter of which would not have surprised Gabe in the slightest, but then Jesse lifted his good arm, swiped at his face, then looked up. His expression was guarded and confused, narrowed eyes focused intensely on Gabe.

 

Gabe idly noticed how puffy and red his eyes had become, but didn’t focus on that. He couldn’t, really. If he did his composure would crumble completely and he needed to be able to talk at least somewhat coherently to get out what he wanted to say. After that, composure would probably go out the window like it’d been threatening to do for the last few minutes, but this had to be done first. Even if Jesse didn’t, or wouldn’t, understand.

“If I had never cared I wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of keeping your ass in line, I wouldn’t have stood up for you every time you messed up, I would have never even suggested giving you the option of joining Overwatch, of taking you under my wing.” He took a deep breath even though he didn’t need it, then took a chance and reached out to place a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. 

“I think we both know I’ve made a hell of a lot of bad choices, and I’ve fucked shit up worse than anyone thought possible. But picking you up outta that gang and giving you the chance to do something good with your life? That was no mistake. You can hate everything else I’ve done, believe it to be a lie, whatever. I don’t give a shit. But what I did for you, what you’ve done on your own because of the chance you were given, all of that was true and means something and I’ll be damned before I let you think saving you was a mistake.”

A beat passed, Gabe held a breath that wouldn’t really affect him, and then Jesse suddenly surged forward toward him. Gabe tensed, expecting another outburst of anger, but instead McCree took hold of him in a vice-like bear hug that nearly knocked him off his feet much like the cowboy’s initial punch had.

Jesse’s hat, knocked from his head by the force of his hug, fell to the ground with a soft noise, and Gabe couldn’t help but chuckle weakly, his arms returning the hug as best he could, one hand reaching up to pat gently at Jesse’s bare head.

“Easy now, vaquero, don’t tell me you’re going to cry on me,” Gabe teased, but there was a catch in his voice he could do little to hide.

“Fuck you, Reyes.”

“Yeah, I missed you too.”


	7. Forgive, but never forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji goes to apologize to Zenyatta, and just maybe he can get along with his brother again.

Genji stayed on the roof when Reaper left, thinking over what the Wraith had said. He supposed he did kind of over-react, but considering it was his brother.. Was it really that hard to understand that he would react the way he did? He sighed, grumbling to himself, moving to get up and find Zenyatta when something suddenly caught his eye, just at the edge of his vision.

  
His body tensed when he saw Mccree attacking Reaper, a split-second before interfering when he realized that the Wraith wasn't fighting back. He watched, watched Mccree eventually halt in his assault on Reaper, watched them talk, the Cyborg completely unmoving where he was crouching on the roof. He couldn't make out what they said, they were too far away for that, but they must have come to some sort of agreement considering they were hugging it out. Genji hesitated, looking own and away for a good few moments before getting up, and off the roof. He had to find Zenyatta.  
It was a good hour of looking, meticulously searching the Base while making a point of avoiding anyone that had been present when he had his outburst - especially Hanzo and Mccree. Eventually though, he found the Omnic Monk outside the Base, meditating.

  
The late evening sun reflected off of Zenyatta's metallic body, making him appear as if he was glowing orange and yellow, the barest of reflections of his surroundings on his body. Genji watched from afar for a few moments, admiring the beautiful view - wait, did he just call an Omnic beautiful? - internally wording together what he was going to say to the Omnic. He approached him eventually, but was cut short of speaking up.  
"Genji.", the Monk said, floating up from where he had been sitting in the grass, turning to face Genji but not approaching him any further. Had he scared the Monk with his outburst? He hoped not. "I had hoped you'd return. I apologize for not telling you about your brother. You've come so far, I did not wish to put any distress on you because of your brother's presence. I do not expect you to forgive me, but I realize that hiding this from you was not the wisest decision, and that I was wrong in doing so.", the apology had caught Genji off-guard, the Cyborg stilling for a moment, letting the words run through his head before replying, still a little hesitant.  
"You are forgiven. I over-reacted, let my emotions get the better of me, and.. I apologize for that. It won't happen again. Seeing Hanzo again after so long.. It opened a lot of old wounds, too many negative emotions resurfacing. I know the hatred Talon encouraged to fester like a poisonous growth is not healthy, but 10 years of neural reconditioning is a hard thing to reverse.", he averted his eyes underneath his visor, but he knew the Omnic could tell regardless wether or not he had his visor on.

  
"Oh, Genji...", Zenyatta tilted his head, asking a wordless question. When Genji gave a small nod, his shoulders drooped in relief, reaching up to cup Genji's cheeks. The Cyborg briefly tensed at the contact before relaxing. He trusted him, he wouldn't betray that trust, not again. "You've come so far, achieved so much since the day I met you. Don't diminish your progeress - _yourself_ \- please."  
Genji stayed quiet, but gave a small nod, closing his eyes and holding onto Zenyatta's wrists. He didn't attempt to remove the Monk's hands, he just held onto him, as if trying to ground himself.

  
_This is not Talon. There is no malcontent, no abuse, no harm in touch. I can trust the people here. I can trust Zenyatta. I'm not alone anymore._

  
Zenyatta could feel the sea of negative emotion inside Genji, could tell how much emotional turmoil he was in. He knew why Genji disliked touch, why he'd strike out when someone did, had slowly learned of the atrocities Talon commited on him. And he understood it would take Genji a long time to trust people again, to allow any form of touch, which is why he always asked for permission to touch him. Never in a million years did he want to make him uncomfortable. He had already betrayed his trust once, and he would not make the same mistake again.

  
Since that day things slowly went back to normal. People got over Genji's outburst, although Morrison kept a close eye on Genji for a while. Zenyatta even tried to get Genji and Hanzo to reconcile, although trying was the keyword here. Genji could never stay near Hanzo for long, getting hit by horrible bouts of nausea and flashbacks, but it slowly got better with the emotional support of both Zenyatta and Reaper, as well as everyone else's. Things took a leap forward about a month after Genji's outburst though.

  
Genji had been practising in the Base's training room, which bordered onto the shooting range. Hanzo was in there, practising his shots, pausing when he felt Genji's eyes trained on him.   
"Is something the matter?", the Archer asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.  
"Three centimeters."  
"What?"  
"You can improve your shot by moving your arm three centimeters to the left. You lean to the right too much."  
"I... I do? Thank you.", the Archer had been caught off guard by the sudden suggestion on how to improve, but didn't take it for granted. This was the most he had talked to his brother in years. He gave Genji a smile before going back to what he was doing, this time moving his arm before he shot, smile widening when he hit dead in the center instead of slightly to the right of it.  
Genji had gone back to what he was doing as well, but was content with the thought that he could finally exchange words with Hanzo again without getting nauseous.


	8. A Student's past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of backstory for Hanzo, so that everyone knows how he came to be with Overwatch.  
> This Chapter has been beta'd by a friend on Discord

Everyone has a backstory;, a reason as to why they were as they were. Everyone has demons haunting them, dreams to look forward to, and a past to think about. Hanzo was one of these people.

Killing his brother broke him, left him but a hollow shell of his previous self. He couldn't believe that he killed his one and only brother. He wanted to flee the Clan, get out of Hanamura - to get away from them. Yet he stayed. The Clan was suspicious of him wanting to flee, so they kept a close eye on him. He was mourning Genji, so when he returned under Talon's command - he was shocked; mortified, and unable to believe that his brother was... this _thing_ now. He did not want to fight Genji - not again, never again - but the cyborg cared little for that. He left Hanzo with his legs cut off below the knee, leaving him for dead just like he had done before, telling him, that if he were to survive to show his face again, he would be less mercifull.

Just then, Overwatch came, and took him with them. He didn't object, too heartbroken and numb to do anything but follow them. Without Genji he had no purpose in this world. He was supposed to protect his brother, not betray him, and that fact had come back to bite him. Overwatch gave him new legs, metallic prosthetics connected to his nerves to enable him to walk, run and climb again. So, over the years of the Omnic Crisis and Overwatch's golden years, he helped them in return. It wasn't all bad; he had made some friends, even had his heart stolen by a certain Blackwatch Cowboy.   
He was painfully aware of how much he loved - still loves - McCree, but he was always of the opinion that he deserved someone better than him, better than someone who would murder their own sibling.

After Overwatch disbanded and everyone went their own ways, he drifted across the Globe, still without purpose. In that time, he met Zenyatta, the Omnic Monk offering him to find inner peace. At first he was reluctant - what could an Omnic know of his suffering? - but eventually he agreed. He began the long journey of inner peace and forgiving himself for his actions under Zenyatta's teaching.   
And when the Recall signal came, he felt he had to help once again. He had been travelling the Globe with Zenyatta at this point, helping the Monk in his own journey of helping people they met around the World. He brought the subject of going to Overwatch up to Zenyatta, and wanted him to know he was going to Gibraltar to join Overwatch. And, much to the archer's surprise, Zenyatta said he would join him. After all an Omnic's perspective would be valuable, and he wanted to help people. Maybe, like this, he could continue Mondatta's legacy of helping people at a larger scale while Zenyatta himself continued helping people on a personal level.

So, that was how Hanzo found himself on Gibraltar with his Master, surrounded by familiar faces and friends. However, he had not anticipated for his brother to make an appearance at the recall, hence the shock and apprehension when he returned from a mission to find out that Zenyatta with his brother. There he learned that his master had slowly been working on helping Genji break the Talon neural reconditioning he had been subjected to.


End file.
